Bill payments from a video screen

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for generating bill pay requests via an internet-enabled video displaying device are described. The transaction generating system presents users with the option to generate a bill pay request to vendors of products and/or services while the user is passively consuming video content. As video content relating to a given product or service is displayed, a notification invites the user to generate a bill pay request. The user can then use the internet-enabled video displaying device to generate and send a request to transfer funds to the vendor.

FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to online payment systems usingvideo content displaying devices.

BACKGROUND

Massive quantities of video content are readily available from manyproviders. Often included in the video content are incidences ofreal-world products and services, which can take the form of productplacements in a television show, or advertisements during a commercialbreak. Usually, however, video content can only be passively consumed bya viewer. If a product or service of interest is presented to a viewer,that viewer usually has to resort to some other device or medium toobtain it.

SUMMARY

One embodiment relates to a bill pay request generating device. Thedevice comprises a downstream network logic configured to access andexchange data over a network. The device further comprises a downstreamsignal processing logic configured to receive a video content stream.The device comprises a data processing logic. The data processing logicis configured to cause a display to present video content based on thevideo content stream. The data processing logic is further configured tooverlay a bill pay user interface on top of the video content, whereinthe bill pay user interface corresponds to a vendor associated with thevideo content. The data processing logic is configured to send a billpay request through the downstream network logic to effect a payment tothe vendor.

Another embodiment relates to a computer-implemented method. The methodcomprises maintaining, by an account processing logic, a database thatincludes account information for at least one customer of a financialinstitution. The method further comprises maintaining, by a bill payprocessing logic, a bill pay database that includes at least oneregistered biller. The method comprises providing, by a financialinstitution computing system, a bill pay feature by which a customer cancause a payment to be issued to a registered biller. The method furthercomprises receiving, by a financial institution network logic, a billpay request to a vendor corresponding to a segment of broadcast videocontent. The method comprises completing, by a bill pay processinglogic, a bill pay request by causing funds from the customer's accountto be sent to the vendor.

An additional embodiment relates to a non-transitory computer readablemedia having computer-executable instructions embodied therein that,when executed by a data processing logic of a bill pay requestgenerating device, causes the bill pay request generating device toperform operations to issue bill pay requests over a network. Theoperations comprise cause a display to present video content based on acontent stream. The operations further comprise overlay a bill pay userinterface on top of a segment of the video content, wherein the bill payuser interface corresponds to a vendor associated with the segment ofthe video content. The operations comprise send a bill pay request overa network through a downstream network logic to effect a payment to thevendor.

Yet another embodiment relates to a broadcast headend. The headendcomprises an upstream network logic configured to access and exchangedata over a network. The headend further comprises an upstream signalprocessing logic configured to broadcast a video content signal. Theheadend comprises a content processing logic. The content processinglogic is configured to receive a content stream including at least oneproperty code associated with a segment of video content. The contentprocessing logic is further configured to receive a bill pay request toa vendor corresponding to the at least one property code. The contentprocessing logic is configured to send the bill pay request to afinancial institution computing system to effect a payment to thevendor.

These and other features, together with the organization and manner ofoperation thereof, will become apparent from the following detaileddescription when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a computer-implemented bill pay requestgenerating system using an internet-enabled, video displaying deviceaccording to an example embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an example embodiment of acomputer-implemented bill pay request generating system.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of another example embodiment of acomputer-implemented bill pay request generating system.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are illustrative diagrams of an internet-enabled, videodisplaying device showing a commercial advertisement according to anexample embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an illustrative diagram of an internet-enabled, videodisplaying device showing a commercial advertisement with a userinterface overlay according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an illustrative diagram of an internet-enabled, videodisplaying device showing a full-screen user interface according toanother example embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a method of generating bill pay requeststhrough an internet-enabled, video displaying device according to anexample embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the figures generally, systems and methods for generatingbill pay requests using internet-enabled video displaying devices (orscreens) are described. A system for integrating software applicationsinto the video content displayed on an internet-enabled video screenallows its users to request transactions related to products andservices presented in the video content. For example, after a user turnson an internet-enabled video screen, causing it to connect to theinternet and display video content, a commercial advertisement appears.At some point during the commercial advertisement, a softwareapplication causes a graphical user interface to appear on the videoscreen, prompting the user to interact with it. The user interfacerelates to the subject matter of the commercial advertisement, such as areminder to pay a bill for the advertised service, or an invitation topurchase an advertised product. The user may then, for example, use theinterface to generate a bill pay request corresponding to the product orservice presented in the advertisement.

Referring to FIG. 1, a schematic diagram of a computer-implemented billpay request generating system 100 is shown according to an exampleembodiment. System 100 provides a bill pay request generating system viaa source of video content (e.g., content tools 102), a broadcast headend103, an internet-enabled video screen 105, vendor servers 122, and afinancial institution computing system 135. Users of system 100 includeindividuals consuming video content. Internet-enabled video screens 105are video displaying devices that are capable of accessing datanetworks. Internet-enabled video screens 105 may include home theaterdisplays with integrated or external computing systems that areconfigured to connect to a network. Such home theater displays caninclude, by way of example, LCD, plasma, or LED televisions, orprojectors and projection screens. In some of these arrangements, theinternet-enabled video screen 105 is a video screen communicativelyengaged to an external set top box (e.g., a cable box, a ROKU™ box, anAPPLE TV′ box, a CHROMECAST™ box, or the like). In other arrangements,internet-enabled video screens 105 may be a part of a dedicated personalcomputing system, such as a monitor for a personal computer or a laptop.In yet other arrangements, internet-enabled video screens 105 includemobile devices such as smartphones, PDAs, and tablets.

Content tools 102 are sources of video content that may includebroadcast cable or satellite video programming, internet-based videos,internet-based streaming video feeds, and the like. Broadcasting is thetransmission of audio and/or video content from at least one source toat least one device capable of presenting the audio and/or video contentto an individual. In various arrangements, broadcasting can occur over avariety of mediums, including radio waves, satellite transmissions, datacables, wireless networks (e.g., 3G or 4G cellular networks or wirelessinternet networks), among others. As such, broadcasting can cause asegment of audio/visual content to be received and presented by a singledevice, or several million (or more) devices. Video content from contenttools 102 can be processed at a broadcast headend 103, which canbroadcast video content to an internet-enabled video screen 105.

Vendor servers 122 are remote computing systems that are associated withvarious vendors such as merchants (e.g., retail shops, online stores,and the like) and service providers (e.g., utility providers, cleaningservices, delivery services, loan services, financial institutions, andthe like) with databases of information that include customerinformation, outstanding debts, bills, and/or invoices, and paymenthistories. Vendor servers 122 are also capable of exchanging data over anetwork (e.g., network 120). In some arrangements, vendor servers 122further include software applications that can be downloaded by users'internet-enabled video screens to perform operations associated with theuser interface 132, which is discussed in more detail below.

Financial institution computing system 135 is a remote, computer-enabledtransaction processing system at a financial institution (e.g., banks,credit unions, etc.). Financial institution computing system 135provides a bill pay feature, maintains databases of its customers'information—including personal information, account information, andcustomers' respective registered billers—and can access informationstored at the vendor servers 122.

In one embodiment, a registered biller is a collection of informationrelating to a vendor or provider of goods and/or services, sufficientfor a payment to that vendor or provider to be made. In somearrangements, registered billers are stored in profiles of informationin a database. The bill pay feature is a service where a customer of afinancial institution can select from pre-configured registered billersand/or can configure vendors' payment information (e.g., names,remittance addresses, account numbers, and the like) as registeredbillers at the financial institution computing system. After a vendor isconfigured as a registered biller for a customer, the financialinstitution computing system issues payments (e.g., via paper orelectronic checks) to satisfy debts, bills, and invoices with the vendorwith funds from the customer's account at the financial institution.This can be accomplished, for example, where a customer transmits a billpay request to the financial institution computing system, which can bean authorized request to pay an identified registered biller a specifiedsum of funds from a customer's financial account.

The financial institution computing system 135 can provide the bill payfeature to customers via a website or a software application that can bedownloaded and installed on a customer's mobile device or other personalcomputing system. For example, the website or the application can beconfigured such that, upon providing a username and a personalidentification number or password, a link to a “Bill Pay” function canbe presented to the customer. The customer can then interact with the“Bill Pay” link to cause the website or application to present acombination of instructions, menus, and interactive fields to allow thecustomer to set up new registered billers (e.g., by entering a vendor'sname, remittance address, phone number, and the like into a newregistered biller profile) or to generate a bill pay request. The billpay requests created using system 100 are ultimately performed by thebill pay feature.

The various components of system 100 are configured to communicate witheach other via a network 120 and/or a broadcast medium 110, as shown.The network 120 may include wireless networks (e.g., cellular networks,BLUETOOTH® networks, WIFI networks, ZIGBEE® networks, etc.), wirednetworks (e.g., Ethernet, DSL, cable, fiber-based, etc.), or acombination thereof. In some arrangements, the network 120 includes theinternet. The broadcast medium 110 includes both wired (e.g.,fiber-optic or coaxial cables) and wireless mediums (e.g., radiofrequencies) for signal transmission. In some arrangements, thebroadcast medium 110 includes the internet as well.

In operation, the computer-implemented bill pay request preparationsystem 100 associates the content displayed on a user's internet-enabledvideo screen 105 with the user's registered billers at the user'sfinancial institution, and can therefore provide users with a way to payoutstanding or upcoming bills or purchase products and/or servicesrelevant to the video content appearing on the user's internet-enabledvideo screen. The internet-enabled video screen 105 also provides aninterface for the user to create new registered billers and/or authorizethe financial institution computing system 135 to prepare and issuepayments to registered billers (e.g., via a bill pay request). Therelationships between these various aspects of system 100 are describedin further detail below.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a schematic diagram of a computer-implementedbill pay request generating system is shown according to an exampleembodiment 200. Content tools 102 are video content servers that providevideo content and property codes associated with products and/orservices shown within segments of video content to a broadcast headend103. Property codes are unique codes or tags that identify the merchantsor service providers associated with a given segment of video content.For example, the content tools 102 can sequentially feed video contentdata, including the audio and video data, for one television show, onecommercial for service A, one commercial for product B, and onecommercial for service C, to the broadcast headend 103. Also included inthe video content data for commercials for A, B, and C are three uniqueproperty codes that specifically identify service A, product B, andservice C respectively. As such, the property codes provided by thecontent tools 102 make it possible for downstream devices receiving thevideo content data to specifically identify content relating to serviceA, product B, or service C when they are being displayed.

The broadcast headend 103 is a facility that includes hardware andsoftware systems configured to receive, process, and distribute thevideo content data from the content tools 102. In example embodiment200, the broadcast headend 103 includes a content processing logic 104,and an upstream signal processing logic 106. In some arrangements, thebroadcast headend 103 includes satellite dishes, antennas, and/or otherwireless hardware systems configured to receive video content data fromthe content tools 102. In other arrangements, the broadcast headend 103includes fiber optic cables, coaxial cables, or other wired hardwaresystems configured to receive video content data from the content tools102. The content processing logic 104 is configured to work with thebroadcast headend's 103 hardware systems to receive video content data,and route the data to the upstream signal processing logic 106.

The upstream signal processing logic 106 receives the video content datafrom the content processing logic 104. The signal processing logic 106then converts the video content data into content streams that willultimately be recognized and displayed by a user's internet-enabledvideo screen 105. For example, for internet-enabled video screens 105using traditional analog cable, the signal processing logic 106 canconvert the video content data into separate audio and video streams. Onthe other hand, for internet-enabled video screens 105 using digitalcable, the signal processing logic 106 can convert the video contentdata into a digital cable stream. The upstream signal processing logic106 also includes the property codes in one of the streams resultingfrom video content data received from the content tools 102. In somearrangements, the upstream signal processing logic 106 converts thecontent stream into channel-specific signals by modulating contentstreams onto specific frequencies (for example, for analog cableprogramming) or specific frequencies and amplitudes (for example, fordigital cable programming). The signal processing logic 106 thenbroadcasts the video signals over the broadcast medium 110.

A plurality of vendor servers 122 are configured to access the network120. The vendor servers 122 are configured to receive requests forinformation relating to upcoming or outstanding bills or invoices overthe network 120, and are further configured to transmit the requestedinformation over the network 120. In some arrangements, the vendorservers 122 are configured to transmit software applications to aninternet-enabled video screen 105 over the network 120.

The financial institution computing system 135 is a computer system(e.g., one or more servers each with one or more processing circuits),including a processor and memory. The processor may be implemented asapplication specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more fieldprogrammable gate arrays (FPGAs), a group of processing components, orother suitable electronic processing components. The memory may be oneor more devices (e.g., RAM, ROM, flash memory, hard disk storage, etc.)for storing data and/or computer code for completing and/or facilitatingthe various processes described herein. The memory may be or includenon-transient volatile memory, non-volatile memory, non-transitorycomputer storage media. The memory may include data base components,object code components, script components, or any other type ofinformation structure for supporting the various activities andinformation structures described herein. The memory may be communicablyconnected to the processor and include computer code or instructions forexecuting one or more processes described herein. The financialinstitution computing system 135 also includes an account processinglogic 136, a bill pay processing logic 142, and a financial institutionnetwork logic 146, which performs the functions described below as aresult of the processor and memory.

The financial institution network logic 146 is configured to allow thefinancial institution computing system 135 to exchange information overthe network 120. The account processing logic 136 can be configured tomanage financial accounts associated with a financial institution'scustomers, including recording account balance and transactionhistories, processing deposits and debits, preparing and transmittingpayments to third parties, and exchanging customer information viafinancial institution network logic 146. In some embodiments, theaccount processing logic 136 can use information in a bill pay database(e.g., bill pay database 144, as discussed below) to perform a paymentfrom a customer account to a registered biller. In one such embodiment,the account processing logic 136 is configured to receive and fulfillbill pay requests sent by a user through an internet-enabled videoscreen 105. As such, the flow of funds into and out of customer accountsmay be processed by the account processing logic 136 of the financialinstitution computing system 135.

The account processing logic 136 can be configured to manage andexchange information with a customer database 138 and an accountdatabase 140. The customer database 138 is a digital storage medium(e.g., on board or connected flash or disc-based memory storage, accessto a networked cloud storage medium, or the like) containing informationrelating to each of the customers of the financial institution,including information required to complete the bill pay process (e.g.,customer names, addresses, and the like). The account database 140 isalso a digital storage medium, but includes information relating tofinancial accounts associated with each of the customers in the customerdatabase 138, including account numbers, balance information,transaction histories, credit card accounts, and the like.

The bill pay processing logic 142 is configured to generate and storeregistered billers associated with a financial institution's customers.The bill pay processing logic 142 can transmit and receive informationrelating to customers' registered billers via the financial institutionnetwork logic 146, store new or updated registered biller information ina bill pay database 144, and interface with the account processing logic136. In some embodiments, customer requests to create new registeredbillers are received and processed by the bill pay processing logic 142via the financial institution network logic 146, and then stored in thebill pay database 144. The bill pay database 144 is a digital storagemedium (e.g., on board or connected flash or disc-based memory storage,access to a networked cloud storage medium, or the like) containinginformation relating to the registered billers associated with each ofthe customers in the customer database 138. The information in the billpay database 144 includes, for example, vendor names and remittanceaddresses, customer account numbers with the vendors, property codesassociated with each vendor, and the like.

In some arrangements, the financial institution computing system 135transmits information from the bill pay database 144 (e.g., informationsufficient to identify each biller, such as biller names) to aninternet-enabled video screen 105 associated with a customer in thecustomer database 138 over the network 120, where it can be stored in alocal database (e.g., database 116). In other arrangements, thefinancial institution computing system 135 transmits informationrelating to individual registered billers for specific customers overthe network 120 on an as-needed basis. The bill pay processing logic 142can receive new or updated information through the financial institutionnetwork logic 146 and store the information in the bill pay database 144accordingly. The bill pay processing logic 142 can also causeinformation stored in the bill pay database 144 to be sent over thenetwork 120 via the financial institution network logic 146. Further, inone embodiment, the bill pay processing logic 142 is configured toreceive and fulfill a bill pay request sent by a customer through aninternet-enabled video screen 105.

In operation, a customer bill pay request can be received at a financialinstitution computing system 135 via financial institution network logic146. In some embodiments, the bill pay request is then routed to theaccount processing logic 136. In one such embodiment, the bill payrequest already includes information relating to the customer'sregistered biller, and the account processing logic 136 can prepare andtransmit a payment (e.g., via electronic or paper check) to theregistered biller from the customer's account. In another suchembodiment, the bill pay request only identifies the customer'sregistered biller, in which case the account processing logic 136 canrequest and receive information regarding the registered biller from thebill pay database 144 via the bill pay processing logic 142. In otherembodiments, the bill pay request is routed to the bill pay processinglogic 142 (i.e., instead of account processing logic 136), whichaccesses the customer's payment and account information from thecustomer database 138 and the account database 140 via the accountprocessing logic 136, and fulfills the customer's bill pay request.

The internet-enabled video screen 105 is a device configured to receiveand process video content signals, access data networks, and allow usersto consume video content. The internet-enabled video screen 105 includesa downstream signal processing logic 112, a data processing logic 114, adownstream network logic 118, a display 124, and a user control signalreceiver 128. In some arrangements, all of the components of theinternet-enabled video screen 105 are integrated into a single unit orhousing (e.g., a “smart” television, a laptop, a tablet, or the like).In other arrangements, an external set top box comprising the downstreamsignal processing logic 112, data processing logic 114, and thedownstream network logic 118 is communicatively engaged to the display124. The composition of the set top box can vary, such that some set topboxes include some but not all of the components of the internet-enabledvideo screen 105 besides the display 124 (e.g., set top box A mayinclude all of the components except for the display 124; set top box Bmay only include the data processing logic 114 and the downstreamnetwork logic 118, but the rest of the components are included with thedisplay 124; and so on). The set top box can be engaged to the display124 by a data transfer cable, including HDMI cables, USB cables,Ethernet cables, and the like.

The downstream network logic 118 is configured to allow theinternet-enabled video screen 105 to exchange information over a network120. The downstream signal processing logic 112 receives the videosignals from the broadcast medium 110 and converts the signals intocontent streams. In some arrangements, the downstream signal processinglogic 112 demodulates the video signals to channel-specific contentstreams. The downstream signal processing logic 112 directs the contentstreams to the data processing logic 114.

The data processing logic 114 is a component of thecomputer-implemented, internet-enabled video screen 105 that allows theinternet-enabled video screen 105 to process broadcasted video data andpresent video content to a user, and processes incoming and outgoingdata to and from the internet-enabled video screen 105. The dataprocessing logic 114 interfaces with the downstream signal processinglogic 112, the downstream network logic 118, the display 124, and theuser control signal receiver 128. The data processing logic 114 alsoincludes a database 116, which is a data storage medium. The database116 can, for example, take the form of on board or connected flash ordisc-based memory storage, or in some arrangements, access to anetworked cloud storage medium. The database 116 is configured to storeuser information (e.g., name, address, and payment information) andsoftware applications and related data (e.g., video content players suchas NETFLIX™ video content player, HULU™ video content player, YOUTUBE™video content player, or ESPN™ video content player and the like, and/orbill pay request generating software applications, and/or data such asproperty code databases for merchants and service providers). The dataprocessing logic 114 is configured to execute the software applicationsstored on the database 116 and also accesses, stores, and/or edits theinformation on the database 116. The data processing logic 114 canreceive and store information from the downstream network logic 118 onthe database 116, or cause information to be sent over the network 120via the downstream network logic 118.

The data processing logic 114 is further configured to cause the display124 to present audio and visual content and a user interface 132 to auser, and to receive user inputs through a user control signal receiver128. A user interface 132 is a graphical user interface that presentspossible actions that the user can take on the display 124. In somearrangements, the user can interact with the user interface via a remotecontrol device 130, which is a device that allows users to send commandsto the internet-enabled video screen 105. The remote control device 130can take several forms, including a standard television remote control,or a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone) with a software applicationconfigured to communicate with the internet-enabled video screen 105. Auser control signal receiver 128 is configured to receive signals fromthe remote control device 130, and send the signals to the dataprocessing logic 114. In other arrangements, the user can interact withthe user interface via controls on the internet-enabled video screen 105itself. For example, a user can interact with the user interface 132 viabuttons located on the frame of the internet-enabled video screen 105.Alternatively, if the internet-enabled video screen 105 includes atouchscreen (e.g., a tablet or smartphone), a user can interact with theuser interface 132 via buttons that appear on the display 124.

The data processing logic 114 at the internet-enabled video screen 105can be further configured to identify and parse out the property codesfrom the content stream received from the downstream signal processinglogic 112. In some arrangements, the data processing logic 114 cancompare the information from the bill pay database 144 stored on thedatabase 116 with the parsed property codes to determine whether thecontent stream corresponds to any of the user's registered billers. Inother arrangements, the data processing logic 114 can remotely accessinformation in the bill pay database 144 over the network 120 throughthe downstream network logic 118 and compare property codes in thecontent stream with the user's registered billers in the bill paydatabase 144 for relevant vendors. The data processing logic 114 cantherefore identify a customer's registered billers that are relevant tothe incoming video content.

In one arrangement, the data processing logic 114 is configured tolaunch a software application on the internet-enabled video screen 105that causes a user interface 132 to appear on the display 124 if acurrent segment of video content relates to one of the user's registeredbillers. The software application can be configured to access the billpay processing logic 142 at the financial institution computing system135, which can then determine whether the user has any upcoming oroutstanding bills with the registered biller. Alternatively, thesoftware application can be configured to directly access vendor servers122 over the network 120 through the downstream network logic 118, anddetermine, for example, whether the user has any upcoming payments due,any overdue payments, or any outstanding invoices. The softwareapplication can also be configured to send requests, for example, fornew purchases or subscriptions to the vendor servers 122. The softwareapplication is configured to present a graphical user interface 132 onthe display 124 of the internet-enabled video screen 105, where the usercan interact with the software application to prepare and transmit anauthorized request to the financial institution computing system 135 toprepare and send a payment to a registered biller (e.g., a bill payrequest).

In another arrangement, the data processing logic 114 can be configuredto launch the software application on the internet-enabled video screen105 even if the current segment of video content does not relate to oneof the user's registered billers. In one such arrangement, after thedata processing logic 114 parses out a property code from a givensegment of video content and confirms that the property code does notcorrespond to any of a user's registered billers (e.g., after accessinga local database 116 or the bill pay database 144), the data processinglogic 114 can launch the software application and present a graphicaluser interface 132 on the display 124, inviting the user to purchase agood or service by setting up a registered biller for the correspondingvendor. For example, an advertisement may invite a user to purchase aproduct for four monthly installments of $59.99. In some arrangements,the corresponding vendor's billing information can be pre-stored (e.g.,at the vendor servers 122 or the bill pay database 144), and thus, thedata processing logic 114 can compile all of the vendor's informationneeded to create a registered biller. Further, the internet-enabledvideo screen 105 may be registered with a financial institution anduniquely associated with the user. This can be accomplished by, forexample, associating a unique code stored on the internet-enabled videoscreen 105 (e.g., a television serial number) with a customer of thefinancial institution at the financial institution computing system 135.Hence, the user would only have to authorize and confirm to purchase aproduct and/or create a new registered biller (e.g., by entering a PINnumber and a confirmation). In these arrangements, the data processinglogic 114 can also be configured to set up recurring payments to theresulting registered biller in the bill pay database 144 if the customerpurchases a product or service which included an installment plan orongoing payments.

In another arrangement where the data processing logic 114 parses aproperty code that does not correspond to any of a user's registeredbillers, the data processing logic 114 can also be configured todetermine whether the user has previously issued payments to thecorresponding vendor. In one such arrangement, the data processing logic114 can send an inquiry to the account processing logic 136 over thenetwork 120 that includes identifying user information and the propertycode or identifying information for the vendor corresponding to theproperty code. Upon receiving the inquiry, the account processing logic136 can access information relating to the user from the customerdatabase 138, and search the user's available accounts in the accountdatabase 140 (e.g., checking accounts, credit card accounts, and thelike) for any transactions with the vendor corresponding to the propertycode. If the account processing logic 135 locates the vendor in theuser's transaction history, the account processing logic 135 can notifythe data processing logic 114 (e.g., over the network 120) that the userhas previously transacted with the vendor. This can occur, for example,where the user has been paying for an ongoing service (e.g., cable) oran installment-based purchase (e.g., a purchase entailing 5 monthlypayments of $50) with paper checks or a credit card. Upon receiving sucha notification from the account processing logic 136, the dataprocessing logic 114 can launch a software application that causes auser interface 132 to appear on the display 124, informing the user thatprevious transactions with the vendor corresponding to the video contenthave been made or are ongoing, and invite the user to create aregistered biller for that vendor.

The software application can be provided to the internet-enabled videoscreen 105 by the vendor servers 122 or by the financial institutioncomputing system 135 over the network 120. In some arrangements, thevendor servers 122 or the financial institution computing system 135provides the software application after the data processing logic 114identifies a registered biller and sends a request for the correspondingvendor's software application over the network 120. In otherarrangements, at least one software application is pre-stored in thedatabase 116 in the internet-enabled video screen 105, and the dataprocessing logic 114 launches the application upon identifying aregistered biller.

In one arrangement, the remote control device 130 allows a user tointeract with the internet-enabled video screen 105. After the dataprocessing logic 114 has loaded audio and visual content along with asoftware application's user interface 132 onto the display 124, a usercan use the remote control device 130 to interact with the userinterface 132 to authorize and cause bill pay requests to be issued fromthe financial institution computing system 135. The user interface 132can present an on-board program configured to locally authorize (e.g.,by requesting a password or PIN number) and send bill pay requests, orthe user interface 132 can present the user with internet links to siteswhere bill pay requests can be generated (e.g., a financialinstitution's website). The user control signal receiver 128 detects theuser's inputs into the remote control device 130 and routes the inputsto the data processing logic 114, which applies the user's inputs to thesoftware application to authorize and create a bill pay request. Thedata processing logic 114 and the software application then sends thebill pay request to the downstream network logic 118, and through thenetwork 120 to the financial institution computing system 135. Thefinancial institution computing system 135 then executes the user's billpay request.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a schematic diagram of a computer-implementedbill pay request generating system is shown according to an alternativeexample embodiment 300. Example embodiment 300 includes all of thecomponents and features of example embodiment 200, except the contentprocessing logic 104 at the headend 103 further includes a database 134and the broadcast headend 103 further includes an upstream network logic126. Example embodiment 300 can still perform all of the functionsdescribed with respect to example embodiment 200 in FIG. 2 despite theaddition of the upstream network logic 126 and the database 134, but thebroadcast headend 103 can now exchange data and information over thenetwork 120, as discussed below.

The upstream network logic 126 is configured to allow the broadcastheadend 103 to exchange information over the network 120. The contentprocessing logic 104 can receive and store information from the upstreamnetwork logic 126 on the database 134, or cause information to be sentover the network 120 via the upstream network logic 126.

The database 134 is a data storage medium at the broadcast headend 103.The database 134 can, for example, take the form of on board orconnected flash or disc-based memory storage, or in some arrangements,access to a networked cloud storage medium. The database 134 isconfigured to store user information (e.g., name, address, and paymentinformation). In some arrangements, the database 134 further includessoftware applications corresponding to a plurality of vendors (e.g.,merchants and service providers). The database 134 can also beconfigured to store information relating to a plurality of vendors,including, for example, property code databases or informationcorresponding to information in the bill pay database 144 at a financialinstitution 135.

In one arrangement, the content processing logic 104 at the broadcastheadend 103 is configured to parse out property codes from the videocontent data received from the content tools 102. In one sucharrangement, the content processing logic 104 can compare theinformation from the bill pay database 144 and user information storedon the database 134 with property codes parsed from the video contentdata to determine whether any segments of the video content datacorresponds to any of a user's registered billers. In doing so, thecontent processing logic 104 can remotely access information in the billpay database 144 over the network 120 through the upstream network logic126 and compare property codes parsed from the video content data with auser's registered billers in the bill pay database 144 to identifyrelevant vendors. The content processing logic 104 can therefore beconfigured to identify a user's registered billers associated with videocontent at the broadcast headend.

The content processing logic 104 can also be configured to parseproperty codes from the incoming video content data and transmit theproperty codes and a user's information from the database 134 throughthe network 120 (i.e., without identifying registered billers). In onesuch arrangement, the content processing logic 104 transmits propertycodes and a user's identification information to the financialinstitution computing system 135. The bill pay processing logic 142 atthe financial institution computing system 135 can then compare theproperty codes with the user's registered billers in the bill paydatabase 144 to identify any matching vendors.

In one arrangement, after matching vendors are identified, the bill payprocessing logic 142 can then access the vendor servers 122 over thenetwork 120 to determine whether the user has any upcoming oroutstanding bills, debts, or invoices with any of the relevant vendors.If the user has any upcoming or outstanding bills, debts, or invoicesassociated with at least one relevant vendor, the bill pay processinglogic 142 can be configured to transmit information relating to therelevant vendor and the amount due to the data processing logic 114 atthe internet-enabled video screen 105 over the network 120. In anotherarrangement, the bill pay processing logic 142 returns a list matchingvendors to the content processing logic 104 at the broadcast headend103, and the content processing logic 104 may then retrieve bill, debt,or invoice information from corresponding vendor servers 122 andtransmit that information to the data processing logic 114 at theinternet-enabled video screen 105.

The data processing logic 114 at the internet-enabled video screen 105can parse out a property code from a content stream received from thedownstream signal processing logic 112 and cause a user interface 132 toappear on the display. In some arrangements, the data processing logic114 also receives debt, bill, and/or invoice information relating to thevendor corresponding to the property code from the financial institutioncomputing system 135, the broadcast headend 103, or vendor servers 122and includes the information in the user interface 132. In somearrangements, the software application underlying the user interface 132is downloaded from the corresponding vendor servers 122, the broadcastheadend 103, or the financial institution computing system 135 over thenetwork 120 before being presented to the user. In other arrangements,the software application is pre-stored on the database 116 at theinternet-enabled video screen 105.

The upstream signal processing logic 106 is configured to prepare andtransmit video signals and property codes to an internet-enabled videoscreen 105 (as discussed above with respect to FIG. 2). In somearrangements, the content processing logic 104 parses the property codesin the video content data received from the content tools 102 leading tothe identification of relevant vendors (as discussed above) in parallelwith the video signal broadcast. As such, the identification of vendorsthat are registered billers and are associated with segments of videocontent can occur in parallel while video content streams arebroadcasted to a user's internet-enabled video screen.

Referring now to FIG. 4A, an example display 400 of the internet-enabledvideo screen 105 is shown according to an example embodiment. Thedisplay 400 in FIG. 4A initially presents a passive commercial videoadvertisement 402 for a service company called “XYZ Corp.” Theadvertisement 402 can include audio, video, and textual content relatingto the products and services offered by the company. The advertisementis also associated with a property code specific to XYZ Corp. While thepassive commercial video advertisement 402 is presented on the display400, a computer-implemented bill pay request generating system (e.g.,system 200 or system 300, as discussed with respect to FIGS. 2 and 3,above) can determine whether the user viewing the display 400 haspreviously registered XYZ Corp. as a biller at the user's financialinstitution. The system can also determine whether the user has anyupcoming or outstanding debts, bills, or invoices with XYZ Corp.

Referring now to FIG. 4B, the display 400 of FIG. 4A has been updatedafter the internet-enabled video screen executes a software application.Here, the computer-implemented bill pay request generating system hasconfirmed that the user has previously registered XYZ Corp. as a billerwith the user's financial institution, and that the user has a XYZ Corp.bill coming due. The display continues to passively present theadvertisement 402, but now overlays a graphical user interface 404(e.g., a user interface 132 of FIG. 2) on top of the passiveadvertisement 402. The graphical user interface 404 relates to theuser's bill coming due for XYZ Corp., the vendor associated with theunderlying advertisement. The graphical user interface 404 prompts theuser to interact with it by asking whether the user wants to pay theupcoming bill. The user can interact with the graphical user interface404 via the user's remote control device 406 (i.e., the remote controldevice 130 of FIG. 2).

Referring now to FIG. 5, an expanded graphical user interface 502 isshown according to an example embodiment. Here, the display 500 hasagain been updated to an expanded graphical user interface 502 after theuser has interacted with the previous graphical user interface (i.e.,graphical user interface 404 of FIG. 4B) to begin preparing a bill payrequest. The expanded graphical user interface 502 includesuser-specific information 504 from the relevant vendor (e.g., the amountdue to the relevant vendor and the due date) and interactive buttons 506that the user can select using the remote control device 508. Thefunctions underlying the interactive buttons 506 can include, forexample, an authorization function where the user's identity can beverified (e.g., by entering a user-specific PIN number), a value settingfunction where the user can set the desired amount to be paid to therelevant vendor, and a help function configured to provide the user withassistance in using the expanded graphical user interface 502. In thisembodiment, the passive commercial video advertisement 510 continues toplay in the background while the expanded graphical user interface ispresented on the display 500.

Referring now to FIG. 6, an alternative expanded graphical userinterface 602 is shown according to an example embodiment. Here, insteadof partially overlaying an expanded user interface over the passivecontent on the display (as discussed with respect to FIG. 5), thealternative expanded graphical user interface 602 is a full-screen userinterface. The alternative expanded graphical user interface 602 issubstantively similar to the expanded graphical user interface shown inFIG. 5, complete with user-specific information 604 and interactivebuttons 606 that can be controlled with a remote control device 608.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a flow diagram of a method 700 of processingbill pay requests is shown according to an example embodiment. Themethod 700 is performed by a financial institution computing system(e.g., financial institution computing system 135) within acomputer-implemented bill pay request preparation system (e.g., system100 and embodiments thereof). As discussed above with respect to system100 and various embodiments of system 100, and in further detail belowwith respect to method 700, the financial institution computing systemis configured to allow customers to efficiently generate paymentrequests while consuming audio and video content.

A network connection is maintained (702). The network connection ismaintained by a network logic (e.g., financial institution network logic146) at a financial institution computing system (e.g., financialinstitution computing system 135) and enables the financial institutioncomputing system to send and receive data from other computing systemsand servers over a data network (e.g., network 120). The data that isaccessible over a maintained network includes, but is not limited to,information relating to the financial institution's customers (e.g.,identification information, account number information, and the like),information relating to registered billers (e.g., biller names,remittance addresses, and the like), property codes associated withthose billers, and customer bill pay requests.

An account database is maintained (703). The account database (e.g.,account database 140) is maintained by an account processing logic(e.g., account processing logic 136) at the financial institutioncomputing system. The account processing logic maintains the accountdatabase on a storage medium at the financial institution computingsystem (e.g., flash or disc-based digital storage, cloud-based storage,and the like) to contain information relating to financial accounts foreach of the customers of the financial institution, including accountnumbers, account balances, transaction histories, number and types offinancial accounts, and the like).

A customer database is maintained (704). The customer database (e.g.,customer database 138) is maintained by an account processing logic(e.g., account processing logic 136) at the financial institutioncomputing system. The account processing logic maintains the customerdatabase on a storage medium at the financial institution computingsystem (e.g., flash or disc-based digital storage, cloud-based storage,and the like) to contain information relating to each of the customersof the financial institution, including information required to completethe bill pay process (e.g., customer names, addresses, and the like).

A bill pay feature is provided (706). The bill pay feature is a servicewhere a customer of a financial institution can store vendors' paymentinformation (e.g., names, remittance addresses, account numbers, and thelike) as registered billers at the financial institution computingsystem, and cause the financial institution computing system to issuepayments (e.g., via paper or electronic checks) to satisfy debts, bills,and invoices with those vendors with funds from the customer's accountat the financial institution. The bill pay feature is provided by thefinancial institution computing system, which may transmit data to andfrom customers and their respective vendors over a network (e.g., overthe network connection maintained at 702) in order to receive andcomplete customer bill pay requests.

A bill pay database is maintained (708). The bill pay database (e.g.,bill pay database 144) is maintained by a bill pay processing logic(e.g., bill pay processing logic 142) at the financial institutioncomputing system. The bill pay processing logic maintains the bill paydatabase on a storage medium at the financial institution computingsystem (e.g., flash or disc-based digital storage, cloud-based storage,and the like) to contain information relating to registered billersassociated with each of the customers in the customer databasemaintained at 704. The information in the bill pay database includes,for example, biller names, remittance addresses, customer accountnumbers with the biller, property codes associated with each biller, andthe like.

A bill pay request is received (710). The bill pay request is receivedfrom a network (e.g., network 120) by the bill pay processing logic atthe financial institution computing system via a network logic (e.g.,financial institution network logic 146). The bill pay request is anauthorized request by the customer identified at 712 for the financialinstitution computing system to issue a payment to a registered billeridentified at 712, using funds associated with an account at thefinancial institution that is associated with the identified customer.The bill pay request includes vendor information, customer information,and an amount of funds to be paid. The vendor information received isinformation sufficient to identify a particular vendor and can include,for example, property codes (as discussed with respect to FIGS. 1through 3, above), vendor names, vendor remittance addresses, and/orother similar identifying information. The customer information receivedis information sufficient to identify a particular customer with thefinancial institution, and can include, for example, names, addresses,customer account numbers with the financial institution, and/or othersimilar identifying information.

Whether the vendor corresponding to the vendor information received is aregistered biller is determined (712). A registered biller a collectionof information relating to an individual or an entity that a customer(i.e., the customer corresponding to the customer information received)has registered for the bill pay service provided at 706. Upon receivingvendor and customer information, the bill pay processing logic at thefinancial institution computing system can first search the customerdatabase (i.e., the customer database maintained at 704) for thecustomer information received to determine whether the informationreceived corresponds to a customer of the financial institution. If thecustomer information received does not correspond to a customer of thefinancial institution, method 700 ends (714) and no further actions aretaken. If, on the other hand, the bill pay processing logic locates acorresponding customer, the bill pay processing logic can search thebill pay database (i.e., the bill pay database maintained at 708) forany registered billers associated with that customer that match thevendor information received. In some arrangements, if no registeredbillers in the bill pay database matches the vendor informationreceived, method 700 ends at 714. In other arrangements, if no matchesare found in the bill pay database, a new registered billercorresponding to the vendor information received is added to the billpay database.

Vendor servers are accessed (716). Vendor servers are remote computingsystems that are associated with various vendors such as merchants(e.g., retail shops, online stores, and the like) and service providers(e.g., utility providers, cleaning services, delivery services, loanservices, financial institutions, and the like) with databases ofinformation that include customer information, outstanding debts, bills,and/or invoices, and payment histories. The financial institutioncomputing system accesses information on a vendor server (e.g., vendorservers 122) corresponding to the vendor information received at 710over a network (e.g., network 120) via the financial institution networklogic to determine if any customer debts, bills, and/or invoices are dueor coming due to the vendor. The bill pay processing logic at thefinancial institution computing system then determines any amounts dueor coming due to the vendor. In some arrangements, if the customeridentified at 712 does not have any amounts due or coming due to theidentified vendor, method 700 ends at 714.

In one arrangement, vendor invoice information is transmitted (718). Inone such arrangement, vendor invoice information is transmitted by thebill pay processing logic at the financial institution computing systemover the network via the network logic to an internet-enabled videoscreen associated with the customer identified at 712. In another sucharrangement, the vendor invoice information is transmitted to abroadcast headend. The vendor invoice information corresponds to thevendor in the bill pay request received at 710 and can include, forexample, the vendor's name, an outstanding invoice amount due or aninvoice coming due (if any) for the identified customer, and a propertycode associated with the identified registered biller.

The bill pay is completed (720). The financial institution computingsystem completes the bill pay by sending the amount of funds to thevendor specified in the bill pay request from the customer's account atthe financial institution. The financial institution computing systemcan complete the bill pay by, for example, causing a hard copy papercheck to be drafted and sent to the registered biller, or causing anelectronic check to be electronically delivered to the registeredbiller.

It should be noted that although the diagrams herein may show a specificorder and composition of method steps, it is understood that the orderof these steps may differ from what is depicted. For example, two ormore steps may be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence.Also, some method steps that are performed as discrete steps may becombined, steps being performed as a combined step may be separated intodiscrete steps, the sequence of certain processes may be reversed orotherwise varied, and the nature or number of discrete processes may bealtered or varied. The order or sequence of any element or apparatus maybe varied or substituted according to alternative embodiments.Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included withinthe scope of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims.Such variations will depend on the software and hardware systems chosenand on designer choice. It is understood that all such variations arewithin the scope of the disclosure. Likewise, software and webimplementations of the present disclosure could be accomplished withstandard programming techniques with rule based logic and other logic toaccomplish the various database searching steps, correlation steps,comparison steps and decision steps.

As noted above, embodiments within the scope of this disclosure includeprogram products comprising non-transitory machine-readable media forcarrying or having machine-executable instructions or data structuresstored thereon. Such machine-readable media can be any available mediathat can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer orother machine with a processor. By way of example, such machine-readableor non-transitory storage media can comprise RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM,CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or othermagnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to carryor store desired program code in the form of machine-executableinstructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a generalpurpose or special purpose computer or other machine with a processor.Combinations of the above are also included within the scope ofmachine-readable media. Machine-executable instructions comprise, forexample, instructions and data which cause a general purpose computer,special purpose computer, or special purpose processing machines toperform a certain function or group of functions.

Embodiments have been described in the general context of method stepswhich may be implemented in one embodiment by a program productincluding machine-executable instructions, such as program code, forexample in the form of program modules executed by machines in networkedenvironments. Generally, program modules include routines, programs,objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasksor implement particular abstract data types. Machine-executableinstructions, associated data structures, and program modules representexamples of program code for executing steps of the methods disclosedherein. The particular sequence of executable instructions or associateddata structures represents examples of corresponding acts forimplementing the functions described in such steps.

As previously indicated, embodiments may be practiced in a networkedenvironment using logical connections to one or more remote computershaving processors. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that suchnetwork computing environments may encompass many types of computers,including personal computers, hand-held devices, multi-processorsystems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics,network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and so on. Embodimentsmay also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasksare performed by local and remote processing devices that are linked(either by hardwired links, wireless links, or by a combination ofhardwired or wireless links) through a communications network. In adistributed computing environment, program modules may be located inboth local and remote memory storage devices.

An example system for implementing the overall system or portions of theembodiments might include a general purpose computing computers in theform of computers, including a processing unit, a system memory, and asystem bus that couples various system components including the systemmemory to the processing unit. The system memory may include read onlymemory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM). The computer may alsoinclude a magnetic hard disk drive for reading from and writing to amagnetic hard disk, a magnetic disk drive for reading from or writing toa removable magnetic disk, and an optical disk drive for reading from orwriting to a removable optical disk such as a CD ROM or other opticalmedia. The drives and their associated machine-readable media providenonvolatile storage of machine-executable instructions, data structures,program modules and other data for the computer. It should also be notedthat the word “terminal” as used herein is intended to encompasscomputer input and output devices. Input devices, as described herein,include a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, joystick or other input devicesperforming a similar function. The output devices, as described herein,include a computer monitor, printer, facsimile machine, or other outputdevices performing a similar function.

The foregoing description of embodiments has been presented for purposesof illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive orto limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed, and modificationsand variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may beacquired from this disclosure. The embodiments were chosen and describedin order to explain the principals of the disclosure and its practicalapplication to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the variousembodiments and with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated. Other substitutions, modifications, changesand omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions andarrangement of the embodiments without departing from the scope of thepresent disclosure as expressed in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A bill pay request generating device, the devicecomprising: a video device, wherein the video device displays videocontent, and wherein the video device comprises: a downstream networkcircuit accessing and exchanging data with a financial institutioncomputing system over an internet network; a downstream signalprocessing circuit receiving video signals over a broadcast medium andconverting the video signals into a video content stream delivered to auser, wherein the network is different than the broadcast medium; and adata processing circuit, wherein the data processing circuit performsoperations comprising: cause a display to present the video contentbased on the video content stream; parse a unique property codeassociated with a vendor from the video content presented on the displayin parallel with a broadcast of the video content; identify the vendorassociated with the unique property code parsed from the video content,wherein identification of the vendor occurs in parallel with thebroadcast of the video content; overlay a bill pay user interface on topof the video content in response to identifying the vendor associatedwith the unique property code parsed from the video content, wherein thebill pay user interface corresponds to the vendor associated with thevideo content; and send a bill pay request through the downstreamnetwork circuit to effect a payment to the vendor associated with thevideo content.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the data processingcircuit further: retrieves information relating to outstanding orupcoming payments due to the vendor from corresponding vendor servers;and incorporates the retrieved information into the bill pay userinterface.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the data processing circuitfurther: retrieves information relating to previous transactionsinvolving the vendor from a database at the financial institutioncomputing system; and incorporates the retrieved information into thebill pay user interface.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein the dataprocessing circuit further: creates a new registered biller; andtransmits the new registered biller to the financial institutioncomputing system.
 5. The device of claim 4, wherein the data processingcircuit further compares the unique property code to a registeredbillers list in the financial institution computing system to determinethat the vendor corresponding to the video content is listed in theregistered billers list.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the bill payrequest further includes instructions to set up recurring payments tothe vendor.
 7. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a set topbox configured to operate in conjunction with a display.
 8. The deviceof claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting theparsed unique property code to the display.
 9. A non-transitory computerreadable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereinthat, when executed by a data processing circuit of a bill pay requestgenerating device, causes the bill pay request generating device toperform operations to issue bill pay requests, the operationscomprising: cause a display to present video content based on a contentstream, the content stream converted from video signals over a broadcastmedium; parse a unique property code associated with segments of videocontent presented on the display in parallel with a broadcast of thevideo content; identify a vendor associated with the unique propertycode, wherein identification of the vendor occurs in parallel with thebroadcast of the video content; overlay a bill pay user interface on topof a segment of the video content in response to identifying the vendorassociated with the unique property code parsed from the video content,wherein the bill pay user interface corresponds to the vendor associatedwith the segment of the video content; and send a bill pay request to afinancial institution computing system over an internet network througha downstream network circuit to effect a payment to the vendor, whereinthe network is different than the broadcast medium.
 10. The media ofclaim 9, with operations further comprising: retrieve informationrelating to outstanding or upcoming payments due to the vendor fromcorresponding vendor servers; and incorporate the retrieved informationinto the bill pay user interface.
 11. The media of claim 9, withoperations further comprising: retrieve information relating to previoustransactions involving the vendor from an account database at thefinancial institution computing system; and incorporate the retrievedinformation into the bill pay user interface.
 12. The media of claim 9,with operations further comprising: configure a new registered billercorresponding to the vendor; and transmit the registered biller to thefinancial institution computing system.
 13. The media of claim 12, withoperations further comprising: compare the unique property code to aregistered billers list stored in the financial institution computingsystem to determine that the vendor corresponding to the video contentis listed in the registered billers list.
 14. The media of claim 9,wherein the media is incorporated into a set top box configured tooperate in conjunction with a display.
 15. The media of claim 9, whereinthe bill pay request further includes instructions to set up recurringpayments to the vendor.
 16. The media of claim 9, wherein the operationsfurther comprise transmitting the parsed unique property code to thedisplay.